Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Memory Ghosts



People often experience what some call Memory Ghosts. These ghosts are not ghosts in the true sense of the word rather they are imprints on the environment.

While a person is living, places and objects that hold meaning for them can absorb their energy. After they pass this energy can linger.

A good example of this happened to a friend of mine years ago. Her grandmother died and she inherited the family home. Once she moved in she became convinced her grandmother haunted the house.

She often would catch a glimpse of her grandmother in the kitchen standing at the stove or she would see her sitting in her favorite rocker in the living room.

After doing some research she decided she needed to help her grandmother move on.

She made several attempts to talk to her deceased relative but she never got a response or sign that her grandmother heard her. She finally gave up.

Several years passed and she realized she no longer saw her grandmother. Years later, while reading a book about energy imprints she realized this is what might have happened in her home.

Was what she experienced just some of her grandmother’s lingering energy?

Could the home have picked up, and stored some of her grandmother’s emotional residue?

Her grandmother loved to cook for the family. This was how she expressed her love. So a great deal of her energy was invested in the kitchen especially around the stove.

The rocking chair in the living room was her grandmother’s favorite spot to rest and think. So this spot as well could have picked up some of her relative's energy.

So do we leave echoes of ourselves in places, and on objects that we have strong emotional ties to? Many believe this is true.

The following poem was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, in the 1800s, reflects this concept of memory ghosts.

Haunted Houses

All houses wherein men have lived and died
Are haunted houses. Through open doors
The harmless phantoms on their errands glide,
With feet that make no sound upon the floors.

We meet them at the door-way, on the stair,
Along the passages they come and go,
Impalpable impressions on the air,
A sense of something moving to and fro.

There are more guests at table than the hosts
Invited; the illuminated hall
Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts,
As silent as the pictures on the wall.

The stranger at my fireside cannot see
The forms I see, nor hear the sounds I hear;
He but perceives what is; while unto me
All that has been visible and clear.

We have no title deed to house or lands . . .

4 comments:

Anne Francis Scott said...

I do believe that homes can be like sponges when it comes to soaking up energy. And I think that works both ways. Some people can sense that particular energy when walking into a house, even if it’s the first time or the history there isn’t known.
A house can absorb both good and bad energy, the good usually coming from a person who had roots there, with special attachments to particular areas, as in your post. The bad stuff lingers from some kind of trauma or emotional storm that happened there before. The stronger the attachment (good or bad), the longer the energy hangs on.
I’ve read similar stories about residual hauntings, where what appear to be ghosts do the same things over and over again, like in a loop, but aren’t aware of any outside presence. Although, I don’t remember ever reading an account of the residual haunting fading away.
Interesting post!

Virginia Lamkin said...

I agree with you.

When I taught, classrooms that I moved into had their own unique feel. I could tell if the atmosphere in the room the year before was positive and light or whether it was a more stern atmosphere that was maintained.

I actually did my own version of smudging in some of these rooms before moving in--to get ride of some of the more negative feelings.

As for the story I shared in my post--I still do not know if my friend actually saw her grandmother or if it was just that her energy was so strong she just thought she did.

In my experience, residual hauntings tend to continue so I think what happened with her grandmother was different.






Virginia Lamkin said...

Oops, I meant rid not ride.

Anne Francis Scott said...

Yes, I've had to do my own version of cleansing as well when walking into negative situations. With me, that's usually a pulling in of positive energy and prayer. And sometimes a verbal communication to the room that shows my will is strong and that I'm guarded.

But back to your post. I agree that what happened with your friend's grandmother seems different than a residual haunting. Without being there at the time, it's hard to venture a guess as to what actually occurred. The story has set my mind to wondering, though. I love a good mystery!

Look forward to reading future posts here!